Species: Notarius phrygiatus, Kukwari Sea Catfish

Notarius phrygiatus (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1840)

Kukwari Sea Catfish

Head broad, flattened; snout overhanging mouth; shield on top of head very rough, small, not reaching to level of eyes; no groove on center top of head; bony process behind head shield long, narrow, tapering; bony plate before base of dorsal fin spine a narrow crescent; 2 pairs of close-set nostrils; no fleshy furrow extends across snout and connects rear nostrils; three pairs of barbels (on chin and both jaws), top pair reaching to pectoral fin; teeth on roof of mouth pointed to granular, in a pair of small, elliptical, widely separated plates; gill opening wide, membranes not adhering to breast; no rakers on rear surfaces of first two gill arches; gill rakers on front of 1st arch 13-14 (12-15), on 2nd arch 14-15 (13-16), bony plate above base of pectoral fin triangular, pointed; tail fin deeply forked; a complete lateral line, with branches to top and bottom base of tail fin, no scales.

Grey-brown above, paler below; fins grey, tail fin with blackish edge.

Reaches 30 cm.

Lives primarily in freshwater, also in brackish estuaries.

Depth range: 0-20 m?

The Gulf of Paria to the Amazon River.